Ghostbusters (2016)

The amount of hate that has been spewed about the Ghostbusters remake defies logic. Despite a solid team of actors and a proven comedy director at the helm, the hyperbolic vitriol being thrown around has been truly disheartening. People who hadn't seen the movie openly declared that they would never see it because it was an affront to the original, despite the blessing from the creators, and even got so petty as to tank the film's rating on IMDB. Calling it childish would be a gigantic understatement.

Personally, I've always been in this film's camp. I like inclusion, and putting together some proven comedic actors with a chance to highlight some new breakout talent sounded perfect to me if you are going to remake a classic. When it comes to remakes, I'm never truly opposed. Come at me with a new angle and a new idea and I'll give things a chance provided you adapt for modern times.

*Begin Rant*

Let's get a couple things perfectly clear. Nearly all of the arguments related to this movie being a travesty for being made are logical fallacies or blatant sexism.

This movie will ruin my childhood! Well your childhood is over, this isn't replacing the original, and there's been enough questionable material based off the original, including the sequel, to have already "ruined" everything.

I hate remakes! Were you up in arms when they announced the next Spider-Man movie? Or when Christian Bale and Christopher Nolan began their Dark Knight trilogy? No? I wonder what's different about this....

I'm refusing to see this movie! Then you have no place arguing about the film's merits as art and entertainment. You want to be part of the conversation, come up with something concrete or actually give it a chance before you decide it's movie Hitler.

No lady Ghostbusters! I don't have time for you, I'll never have time for you because you're an intolerant sexist corpse turd who's perpetuating a Calvin & Hobbes styled G.R.O.S.S. club to defend a movie you're apparently more attached to than things like equality.

*Rant over*

With that out of the way....how is the new Ghostbusters? Let's find out.

The movie begins with Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig), a respected physicist who's startled to find out that a book she published on the paranormal with her childhood friend Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy) is now showing up on Amazon, just as she's about to receive tenure. However, when Gilbert's attempted confrontation with Yates and her new protege Jillian Holtzman leads to a real life ghost sighting, the trio begins their search in earnest with the help of knowledgeable New York transit employee Patty (Leslie Jones). And what they uncover is plan that could put the entire city in danger.

Time for an obligatory gut-check on this movie. It's not as good as the original, mainly because it's not a new concept. Other than that and a slight lull between the second and third acts, I loved this movie. Why? Because it's hilarious.

At this point, this is the funniest movie I've seen all year which is thanks in large part to the four leads whom are all well-defined and quite funny. Kristen Wiig's Gilbert is the right kind of quiet and awkward, McCarthy plays a more relaxed version of her comedic persona, and Leslie Jones makes a distinctive impression in her first major film role without feeling token. Unlike Ernie Hudson the first time around, Jones isn't an addition just because but an integral part of the team from early on (a welcome change).

However, my MVP has to be SNL mainstay Kate McKinnon (you'll recognize her as Hilary Clinton). It's hard to describe her persona without giving away jokes, but her facial expressions alone maintained laughs for me ten times longer than they should have. She nails absolutely every single joke that comes her way and creates a truly different role than anything we've seen in the series prior.

I'll also give a special shout-out to Chris Hemsworth who plays the gang's thick as a brick but quite pretty secretary. Her doe-eyed dumbness combined with the ladies' reactions create some of the movie's biggest laughs.

The script is basically built to get as many laughs as possible out of every situation, be it ghost-hunting, conversing with the mayor, or testing out new equipment.

In terms of creating a distinctly new identity, there's some hits and misses. The script toys with a theme of doing what's right vs. getting credit for it which it's never quite able to follow through on, and the movie follows a bit closely to the original, in that there's only two major ghost related showdowns. In a movie with this kind of budget you're kinding hoping for a montage but it seems that they're trying to avoid that kind of setup for fear of aping the original too much.

A big hit is the updated special effects which maintain the cartoonish nature of the original's ghosts with all the CGI glittery you could want and some new toys for the team. I'll also note that the cameos and the scenes throughout the credits are quite fun as well. Saying too much else will ruin the surprises.

Hysterically funny, the new Ghostbusters makes the most of its talented cast for a movie that's more than entertaining enough to push past its faults. Go out and see this one folks.